Control the Monster
by Cumatilas16
Summary: It's just like any other day at the circus, until Alex starts acting strange. He's having panic attacks, talking to himself, anger problems, and even starts isolating himself in his cart. Whats going on with him? Every time Marty asks him whats wrong, Alex'll say, "I think its back..." Rated T for blood. Minor AlexXGia. COMPLETE! REVIEW!
1. Something Strange

Alex panted. His cart was a horrible, horrible mess. "Control it. Hide it." Alex muttered to himself. "Conceal, don't feel. Like Elsa from Frozen." Alex had recently seen that movie with Gia and knew that that strategy didn't work with her, but he didn't care. "Isolate yourself." He said. "I don't care what Gia says anymore. I'm doing this for their safety." Alex rocked back and forth slowly in a fetal position like he'd gone insane. His pupils were small, his claws were out. He sat in the far left corner of his cart. He looked around himself. His bed was demolished, his dresser was destroyed, there were claw marks everywhere, and written in his claw marks were things like, "help", "control it", or, "kill me". Alex froze in fear of himself. "What have I done?" He whispered.

Earlier That Week...

"That was even better than the last one!" Marty exclaimed. Everyone was wound up about the performance they just had. Alex and Gia especially. They did a trapeze solo and they were a hit. Vitaly patted Alex's back. "Nice job with the performance you two!" Gia giggled. "Thank you Vitaly." Gia was bouncing like she had had a million sodas. Alex chuckled. He thought she was cute when she was excited. That night Alex felt strange. He felt like he was going to throw up. He went outside and went behind the train and opened his mouth to vomit, but nothing happened. Alex was puzzled. The nausea remained but he couldn't throw up. He guessed that it was just from all the swinging on the trapeze. So he went back inside his cart to sleep.

Alex woke up early that morning from the nausea. Why is it still here? Shouldn't it have passed by now? He thought. He decided to ignore it and get some breakfast. He was strangely very hungry. He ate some fish but still seemed hungry. He went to practice the trapeze to take his mind off his troubles. Eventually, everyone else came out to practice. Gia was puzzled on why Alex was up so early. Alex continued to swing solo, but the nausea stayed and started to get on his nerves. Alex walked up to Melman. "Hey Melman." Alex said. "You got something for nausea?" Melman thought. "Do you need to throw up?" Alex shook his head. "I've tried." Melman thought some more. " Its probably from swinging on the trapeze so much" Alex nodded. "yeah, thanks anyway" and he went to meet with Gia so they could practice.

The next night Alex felt very, very strange. He was twitching slightly and his nausea was even worse, yet he still couldn't throw up. And no matter how much he ate, he was still hungry. Really hungry. It took hours, but finally Alex got to sleep.

Alex woke up the next morning feeling much better. "Morning!" He said smiling. No one was there. "Hello? Marty? Gia? Anyone?" Thats when he heard the ear piercing scream. It was a scream caused by extreme torture. Even worse, Gia was the one screaming. "Gia!" Alex followed the scream into the woods. The screams stopped. "Gia?" Alex then saw the most horrific thing he'd ever laid eyes on. Gia was lying there. A huge gash was in her back. She was dead. Alex screamed. He looked around to see all of his other friends were dead too. "Who did this?" Alex felt tears run down his golden fur. All of the sudden, A large beast began to approach him. He didn't know how but instantly Alex knew it was the one who killed his friends. He tried to run but his feet were stone. The beast emerged. It was covered in the blood of his friends. It grinned mockingly at Alex. Alex had never been more afraid in his life. Especially since the monster covered in blood, who killed his friends, was himself.

Alex shop upwards screaming. He looked around himself in panic. He was on his bed in his cart. After some hyperventilating, Alex came to his senses. It was all a horrible nightmare. But what could Alex have thought of to make a nightmare so terrifying? Then it came to him. He rushed to his mirror. His pupils were slowly growing to normal size and his claws were unsheathed."Oh no..." He whispered. He now understood everything.

Alex dashed outside to see it was morning. He instantly ran over to Marty. "Marty, Marty, Marty!" Before Marty could respond, Alex hugged him. "Um, what're you doing?" Marty asked, quite confused. Alex was relived to see his friend was still alive. He then let him go. "You. Me. Talk. Back there." and Alex dragged him behind the train. "Ow! Alex! your claws are digging into my arm!" Marty paused. "Your claws...?" Alex shivered. "This is why I wanted to talk to you."


	2. I Need Help

"Whats that supposed to mean?" Marty asked impatiently. Alex hid his claws behind his back, hoping not to hurt his friend. "Remember when we were on Madagascar and I went a little nuts?"He asked. Marty rolled his eyes. "How could I forget?" Alex gulped."well...I think its back" Alex expected some kind of wild reaction from the zebra but all Marty did was stare at him. Marty was about to assume his friend was pulling another prank but seeing the fear in his eyes and his struggle to sheath is claws, Marty knew he wasn't joking.

"What to we do? I mean, we were able to stop it once, we can stop it again, right?" Marty asked. Alex shrugged. "I don't know. But this seems different. It seems stronger than the last time." Marty gulped too. He knew that Alex's instincts could mean his life. And since its stronger... "Marty, please. I don't want to hurt you." Marty stood on his hind legs and put his hoof on Alex's shoulder. "We can fix this" Alex looked at his friend. "How?" Marty thought. "I-I don't know" He stuttered.

Suddenly, Alex felt his fear become anger. An uncontrollable anger. A fierce anger. "You don't know?" He muttered. There was a growl in his voice. Alex glared at his friend. "You don't know?!" He repeated, shouting now. Marty began to back away. "Alex, what are you doing?" Alex gripped Marty's arms. Marty tried to pull away. Marty had been working out a bit to impress the triplets. He was strong. Alex was much stronger. Marty continued to struggle. "Let me go, Al!" Alex growled. "I thought you were my friend!" He said. "you should always try to help me after the many times I helped you! You made me like this! And you're gonna pay!" Alex was about to claw at him. "Alex, please STOP!" Marty yelled. Alex then was relived of his anger. The crazy look in his eyes faded. He looked at Marty. "Im sorry." He said, choking back a sob. "Im so sorry!" And with that, Alex ran of, crying.

Alex hid in the corner of his cart. "Why are you doing this to me?" He looked in the mirror. He didn't know if he was crazy or hallucinating, but when he saw his reflection, it stirred into the same version of himself he saw in his night mare. "What do you mean, why?" Wild Alex asked. Alex _couldn't_ tell if he said that or his reflection did, but he responded anyway. "Why am I becoming a monster?" He asked. Wild Alex shrugged. "It's just a part of a cats life" He said. Alex shook his head. Wild Alex was trying to take over. He could feel it. "No! I was able to stop you back on Madagascar, so I can stop you again!" He said. Wild Alex chuckled. "I'd like to see you try." He said mockingly. "But I'm stronger now, and you can't defeat me so easily." Alex grabbed his head. Wild Alex was still fighting. Alex looked back in the mirror. His reflection looked annoyed. "What does it take for me to have control? I've tried hallucinations, I've tried everything!" Alex chuckled. "I guess I'm stronger than you" Wild Alex began to stir in the mirror. "We'll see about that" was the last thing Alex heard from him before he saw his regular reflection in the mirror.

Alex thought it was over before his head suddenly began to hurt like crazy. "No!" He shouted. The monster was taking over. He tried not to roar or to scream, so he bit his lip. That didn't work, so he bit his hand. That seemed to work. Alex began to be driven to madness due to all this fighting and all this pain. Finally, Alex had the strength to stick him self in the corner of his cart. After talking to himself and screaming without noticing, Alex passed out.

Alex awoke to a knock at his door. "Alex? What was that noise? Are you ok?" Gloria's voice asked. Alex looked around his destroyed cart. "Uh, y-yeah, I-I'm ok." He stuttered. Alex left his cart and made sure that no one entered it. He went to Gia's cart. "Gia? Can I talk to you?" He asked. Gia nodded. "I've been feeling strange lately. I don't know what's wrong with me." Alex explained. "Like, a dark side of you is trying to take over?" Gia asked. Alex's ears perked up and his eyes widened. "How did you know?"

Gia giggled. "Oh Alex, every cat goes through that. I went through it, Vitaly went through it, and now you are. Although, you it may have come late because by the looks of your age, it should have already come and gone by now." Alex's ears went down again. "Well, y'see, it has." Gia looked confused. Alex continued to explain. "I mean, I got rid of it pence but now I think it's back." Gia looked concerned. "Back?" Alex nodded. "Is that normal?" He asked. Gia shook her head. Alex felt a surge of fear run through him. *Not normal? Why? What's happening to me that never happened to other cat? What's wrong with me?* He thought. "Nothing's wrong with you." Gia said. Alex didn't notice that he said the last part out loud.

"I'm gonna get Vitaly. I'll be right back. You stay here, ok?" Gia said. Alex nodded and stayed put as Gia went to fetch Vitaly. Alex sighed. "I know there's something wrong with me. Unless this is normal, but Gia just said it wasn't!" He said to himself. Suddenly, the world around him began to spin. Everything was growing hazy and dark. The last image he saw was Gia and Vitaly entering the cart. "Alex!" Gia screamed, and Alex was lost in darkness.


	3. Discoveries

**Just to let you know, all my chapters are relatively short. Enjoy!**

Alex opened his eyes. He was panicking. After he calmed down, he looked around. He didn't know where he was. The area was a purplish color. He sure wasn't in the cart anymore. Then he saw Wild Alex approach him. "Where am I?" He said. Wild Alex responded, "I brought you here. Into your mind." Alex looked around. "My mind?" He echoed. Now that he thought about it, the area did look familiar, in a strange, déjà-vu kind of way. "What happened?" Alex asked. Wild Alex drew nearer. "Well, in reality, you're unconscious. I brought you here so we could talk." Alex began to gat annoyed. "What makes you think I'd want to talk to you?" Wild Alex shrugged. "You know you're different, Alex. Not like other cats. If you were, I'd be gone right now. Face it. You're destined to be a killer." Alex was angry now. "SHUT UP! I'm not a monster and never will be!" Wild Alex chuckled. The chuckle became a cackle. "You're funny! Even when you're denying your fate!" Alex was horrified that this monster was a part of him. Wild Alex began to fade away. "You can't hide from the truth..." He said before he disappeared.

Alex's eyes snapped open. The whole world was hazy. When it came into focus, he could see Gia and Vitaly standing over him, both with worried looks on their faces. Alex didn't say anything as Vitaly helped him up and Gia hugged him. Alex held his head. "What happened?" He asked. "You fell unconscious. I couldn't tell if you fainted or were hurt." Vitaly explained. Gia looked up at Alex. "You were murmuring to yourself. I thought you'd gone insane!" She said. Alex was sad that he'd worried them. "How long was I out?" Gia bit her lip. "An hour and a half." "WHAT?!" Alex yelled. It only seemed like a minute to him! "I...need to be alone." He said and he walked out of the cart.

Alex sighed and let the breeze cool his fur. _Why is this happening to me? How am I different? Who am I?_ The last question he thought triggered an idea. He rushed over to the front of the train and saw the penguins. "What do you want, lion? Can't you see we're busy?" Skipper snapped. Alex ignored his comment. "Our next stop is going to be Africa, so get moving!" "AFRICA?! What makes you think we're gonna drive this train all the way to Africa? I am NOT making another plane!" Skipper exclaimed. Alex sighed. "Look, I don't know, just think of something! We need to get there ASAP!" Skipper glared at Alex. "Why?" He asked. "None of your business" Alex scoffed. Finally, Skipper decided he'd find out how they would get to Africa. Alex had a big reason to want to go there. He needed to have a little talk with his parents.

It seemed like forever (and it kinda was) but finally skipper said over the new intercom that he made. "Ok, we're in Africa now." Alex jumped out of his cart and dashed into the reserve. He'd gotten used to the area and knew where he was going since he was stuck on Africa for so long. He stopped running when he got to the watering hole. There they were. Zuba and Florrie.

"Mom! Dad!" Alex shouted. Zuba looked over. "Alakay?" Alex walked up to them. "Yeah, I'm back." To Alex it wasn't much but his parents were worried sick. "Oh, Alakay, we were so worried!" Florrie said, hugging Alex. After some greeting, talking, merf, Alex finally told why he had to come back.

Alex told them all about his nightmares, symptoms, and hallucinations. Most importantly, he told them that he'd already gotten rid of this, and that it's back. "Back?" Zuba asked. "How can it-" Zuba paused and looked at Florrie. "Dad? Is there something I should know?" Alex asked, suspicious. Zuba sighed. "Come with me, Alakay. I need to tell you something alone." Alex hesitated, then walked with his dad.

"Is there something I should know?" Alex repeated. Zuba sighed again. "Alakay, your grandfather, my father, was a killer. He was insane. He didn't fight with his evil side and let it get stronger. He killed innocent lions and didn't care. That evil side must have passed onto you." Alex tried not to believe those words. "D-dad. There has to be a way to stop this. I can't be a killer. I won't!" He sat on a rock so he could process through his brain what he had just heard. Zuba sat beside him. "Listen, son. That...thing is strong, and it ain't going away" Alex was shocked at these words. "You mean I'll have to live like this forever?!" Zuba stopped him. "Let me finish. It ain't going away unless we fight back." Alex glared at his dad. "What do you think I've been trying to do, dad? This monster is always trying to take over my mind! I don't know how I got rid of it last time, so how am I supposed to get rid of it now?" Zuba stood up. "We can talk later. The sun is setting, and by the looking at the state you're in, you need sleep." It was true. Alex hadn't slept in two days. He was exhausted.

Alex chose to sleep out in his old "bedroom" that night. He looked at the childish toys and decorations. He touched the spot he had made as a cub. Man, he was really tiny then! Alex got himself comfortable on his bed, and tried to sleep. He gripped his "Foofie" and thought about what would happen if he didn't control the monster living inside of him. He shook his head and gripped the old blanket tighter. He thought of happy feelings so he could wash away the horrific thoughts. Eventually, Alex fell asleep.


	4. The Monster is Surfacing

Alex woke up on the ground. He was lying on the African grass. He sat up with a strange taste in his mouth. When he looked at his paws, they were covered in blood. Alex screamed. He looked beside him. There, he saw a dead body. It had been clawed and slashed at and part of it was ripped off. It was the body of a zebra. Alex screamed again. Did he kill Marty?! He tried to believe that it was another nightmare, but nothing faded away. Alex went close to the corpse. The blood flowing out of it and the fact that it died with its eyes open made Alex sick. He carefully crawled closer. White with black stripes. The color had faded from its eyes. No, this wasn't Marty. The green in Marty's eyes wouldn't ever fade, and everyone knows that Marty's black with white stripes. He was unique. This couldn't be Marty, could it?

"Alex! Where'd you go?" Alex heard Marty call him. It was too late for Alex to run. Marty approached the lion and screamed. Then he slowly looked at a blood covered lion. "Alex..." He said in shock. "Nononono! Marty! I didn't- I was- this isn't what it looks like!" Alex struggled to get the words out. Marty didn't know what to think. He backed away from Alex slowly, fearing he'd be next. How dare he do this? Lose trust in his best friend? But he didn't take chances. Alex had obviously lost his mind and just became sane again. Marty ran away in case Alex would see him as a meal. _What kind of friend am I?_ Marty thought but kept running.

"Marty! Wait!" Alex didn't even bother trying to catch up with him. As soon as he fell asleep the night before, the monster inside him took over and made him kill and eat the poor zebra. Thank god it wasn't Marty, at least. But still, he murdered an innocent animal! Alex hated and feared himself. He even had a small suicidal thought, but Marty, Gia, no one would want that. All he wanted to do was to protect them. But how can you protect someone from yourself? That exact question flowed through his mind over and over.

Alex made his way towards the watering hole, far from the other animals, so when he washed the blood off, they couldn't drink it. Ew. Alex washed off the blood as much as he could, so that there wasn't a trace of red stained on his fur. It took a long time, but finally, Alex got all the blood off of him. He slowly walked over to the train. He knocked on Marty's door. "M-Marty?" He asked. Marty opened the door. He calmed down a bit to see that Alex was clean of the blood. "Alex? Why did you kill that zebra?" He asked, still a little uncertain. Alex gulped. "I don't know how that happened. I fell asleep in my little spot, and I woke up on the grass by the corpse. I don't know what happened!" He looked at Marty. "Marty...I need help..." He said. Tears began to flow down his face.

Marty suggested to talk with other cats, since he didn't know what the heck to do. So Alex arranged a little meeting with Vitaly and Gia...again. Alex was too afraid to tell them that he'd brutally murdered a zebra, but he did anyway. "I killed a zebra. Not Marty, just...a zebra. I remember going to sleep one night and when I woke up, it was dead. Killed. Eaten. By me." Alex stuttered. Vitaly looked at him in concern. "Are you trying to say that the thing you're fighting just took over while you were sleeping? As if it took the body as it's own?" Alex nodded. "I wouldn't just kill and eat a zebra. You know I wouldn't!" Gia thought. "I've never seen this before, Alex." She stated. Alex's heart sank. "I'll just keep myself in my cart. I can't hurt anyone in there when I'm alone." Gia gasped. "No, Alex! You can't isolate yourself! That can make it much worse!" Alex grew impatient. "Well, then what am I supposed to do?!" He yelled.

He stomped up to Gia. "You're telling me everything I can't do and not helping me at all! You keep telling me everything will be fine! Do I look like a cub to you?!" He held Gia and practically crushed her. Gia yelled in pain, "Alex! You're crushing me! Stop!" Vitaly grabbed Alex and pulled him away, causing both of them to fall out of the cart. Alex clawed at Vitaly's arm. Vitaly yowled in pain as blood ran down his arm. "Vitaly!" Gia screamed. Alex shot his head towards Gia. He had lost all control. "Alex, please stop! You're letting the monster take over! Fight it!" Gia tried to turn a Alex back to sanity, but it was useless. Alex tried to pounce on Gia but was pulled back by Vitaly. Vitaly wouldn't give up, even with an injured arm. The three cats fought for a while. Alex pounced on Gia and was about to claw her until Vitaly punched him in the head and knocked him out cold.

Alex woke up in the corner of his cart. He had a note in his lap. Alex read, "Alex, if you're reading this, you probably woke up and don't remember what just happened." _You got that right_. Alex thought. He continued to read. "What happened was that you lost control and let the monster inside you take over. You tried to kill Vitaly and I. You clawed deep into Vitaly's arm. Don't worry, he's ok. Right now, I'm worried about you, not him. I want you to meet with me this afternoon, ok? ~ Gia"

Alex slowly put the note back on his lap. He tried to kill Gia and Vitaly? A hatred ran through him in memory of why this is happening to him. He hated his grandfather. He didn't even know him and he was glad he didn't. _No._ He thought. _I can't let hatred overcome me. If I do, then it'll come back and take over me._ Alex began to understand how the monster emerged. If he lets hate or anger overtake him, he'll be possessed by it.

Alex didn't take risks and didn't meet with Gia that afternoon. The train made its way out of Africa and made a stop somewhere to rehearse. Later that evening, Alex went to Gia's cart. "Gia can I talk to you real quick?" He asked. Gia looked at the lion. "Did you get my note?" Alex nodded. "Then you should've met with me yesterday afternoon." She said, sounding a little disappointed. "I need to tell you something. I won't be sleeping in my cart tonight." Alex said. Gia cocked an eyebrow. "What? Where will you sleep then?" She asked. Alex pointed at the top of the mountain outside. "Up there." He stated. Gia gasped softly. "Why?" She asked. Alex explained, "If I sleep, it's a perfect opportunity for the killer inside me to take control. If I sleep up there, it'll take longer for me to get to you, and you'll have time to escape." Gia was confused. "Escape?" She echoed. "Drive the train away as far as you can until I'm out of sight." Alex stated. Gia gasped. "But Alex! You'll get-" "Left behind, I know but it's for the best. I want to keep you safe." Alex interrupted. Gia glared at Alex. "Yes you'll get left behind, and hurt, and lost, and you'll go insane fighting it alone!" She yelled. Alex took her paws off his shoulders. "Gia. I need you to do this. Please." He said softly. Gia was about to object again, but finally nodded acceptingly.

That night, Gia awoke to hear a roar. She instantly checked outside her cart. Sure enough, Alex, on all fours, was making his way down the mountain. Gia felt he heart speed increase as she dashed over to the front of the train. "What do you want, doll?" Skipper said after he was awoken. "We need to drive the train out of here! Alex'll kill us if we don't!" She shouted. Skipper began to object when he heard a roar come from the forest very close to the train. "Kowalski! Get us out of here!" The penguin ordered. Kowalski did as he was told and started the train.

The train drove away and left Alex behind. Tears ran down Gia's furry cheeks as she thought of Alex out there by himself. Suddenly, Gia heard a thump, and a deep growl. She ran towards the caboose. When she got there, an out of control, killer lion was hanging on the edge of the rail.


	5. You Know You Want To

It took no time at all for Gia to rush back in the cart and lock the door. Alex smashed through and roared. Well, that didn't work. Gia didn't know what to do. She didn't want to hurt him! She ran as fast as she can through the train carts. Alex followed. She stopped to check if Alex was still chasing her, and he was gone. Gia was relieved for two seconds before she realized that the had passed Marty's cart. Gia heard Marty scream, and she rushed towards Marty's cart. Alex was on top of him clawing him, biting him, torturing him until he was ready to finally have a midnight snack. "Gia! Help me!" Marty screamed. Gia didn't even have to process the words into her brain to punch Alex and help Marty up. "Let's go! Hurry!" She shouted.

Marty and Gia did all they could to get Alex away from them. It broke their hearts to fear their friend, but they kept running anyway. Alex would've wanted them to. "Marty! Up here!" Gia shouted as she opened the cart door and climbed up the ladder. Considering Marty had hooves, Gia had to pull him on top of the train. Alex didn't bother using the ladder. He latched onto the train with his claws and made his way up. _Hmm, we need to figure out how to outsmart him._ _He seems to find a way through everything!_ Marty thought. A tree branch broke Marty's train of thought as it smacked him in the head as the train passed by. That tree branch forced Marty's head downwards. Well would you look at that.

Gia pushed Alex on the edge of the train, causing him to hang on. "Are you ok, Marty?" She asked. Marty smirked at the jaguar. "Never better. I have a plan." Marty pointed his hoof towards the bridge up ahead. "I'm planning to knock Alex into the water below the bridge." Marty explained. "Here's how we'll do it: I'll distract Al long enough for us to get to the bridge. Then, you take this board," Marty used his teeth to bite off part of the train and handed it to Gia. "And you smack him as hard as you can. So hard that he'll fall off the train, and into the water. It may not be professional, but it may just work." He continued. Alex was back on the train. Gia didn't question the zebra by asking what would happen if Alex hit the bridge and not the water, and nodded quickly.

"Hey, Aaalleeex!" Marty sung. The insane lion glared at his dinner and smirked. Gia got her board ready as the train approached the bridge. Tears ran down her face as the train got on the bridge. "Gia?" Marty called her. She didn't know what to do. The whole world seemed to freeze. "Gia?!" Marty called again as Alex drew nearer. Gia had never been so afraid in her whole life. She couldn't hurt him! She couldn't! "Gia! Do it NOW!" Marty screamed. Gia finally used all her strength and knocked Alex clean off the bridge. He roared as he hit the water. "Yeah! We did it!" Marty yelled joyfully. But the monochromatic animal's smile faded. "We did it..." He repeated softly. He just let Alex, his best friend, get knocked off the train into the water. "What if we never see him again?!" Marty yelled at Gia. "Let's...just get back in the train and we'll talk about it in the morning." Gia said. The two animals made their way back into the train, both extremely worried.

Alex shot out of the water coughing. He made his way to shore as fast as he could, coughing up loads of water. He took a very deep breath and he finally reached the shore. He looked above him. He sure wasn't on the mountain anymore. Out of his blurred vision, he thought he could see the train drive away. Two very familiar animals were on top of it. "Marty...Gia..." He whispered weakly. _I tried to kill them..._ He thought, and he fainted right there on the edge of the lake, all alone with a monster.

Alex's feet ached so much he thought they would fall off. He was so tired. So sad. So...hungry. He shivered at the thought of eating his friends. _Oh, what is it now?_ Alex heard a familiar voice in his head. A voice he'd heard too many times already. "What do you want?" Alex said aloud. No one was around, so he spoke to himself. _Well, you're tired, lonely, afraid, hungry... _Wild Alex whispered the last word in a way that made Alex's mouth water_. What do you see in that Marty character? Unique, fun, good friend indeed._ Wild Alex explained. _But do you know what I see? Fresh meat. A wonderful meal sitting right in front of you, yet you never go for it. You know you're hungry Alex... You must eat. Everyone needs to eat. They need to survive. That includes you._ Alex listened to these words, as if he was hypnotized. "Yeah..." He said. He stopped in his tracks and looked at the train tracks he'd been following for hours. _C'mon, Alex... Track them down..._ Wild Alex sung.

Alex's pupils then grew. "NO! Don't even think about it!" He yelled at himself. _What am I doing? You're the one who just considered-_ "No! Don't even say it! I can find my way home without you!" Alex interrupted. _Suit yourself...but face it: You know you want to..._ Wild Alex sang, and he was gone. Not gone for good, but for now. The exhausted lion looked at the long path ahead of him. He needed to find them. Alex once again made his way down the tracks.

Gia paced back and forth, playing with her fingers. "What do we do? We can't leave him there! What part of you thought that was a good idea, Marty?" Gia crossed her arms at the zebra. Marty was about to answer, but Gia interrupted him. "I don't even want to hear it! Alex will die out there! Next thing you know, he'll begin to go insane ed egli finirà per suicidarsi!" Gia began to rant and worry in Italian. "Gia!" Marty yelled. "What?!" Gia practically screamed. "I'd love to help you, but I don't speak Italian." Marty pointed out. "You're not helping with the situation! You know I love him and if he dies out there, non sarò mai in grado di vivere! Ho bisogno di Alex e tu sai fare a!" Gia started speaking in Italian again. Marty looked out the window. _Please, please be ok, Alex... I need you..._ The zebra thought sadly.


	6. Extermination

**I made this chapter longer for you guys. Last chapter! Yay! Will Alex be cured? Well maybe you should just read it! (Also, later, you'll meet a guy named Kungi. His name is pronounced coo-n-jee)**

The blood dripped down onto the ground and made dirty, red footprints. So much pain. So much loss. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to be safe from the demon inside. Alex's feet were going to be the death of him. He didn't know they were bleeding until he looked down. He ignored the blood. What kept him going? Why wouldn't he just give up and lay down and die? Why did he continue after so much suffering? Alex's eyelids were very heavy. His whole body hurt, inside and out. He nearly got hit by another train earlier. The nightmares, the mocking voice, the horrific thoughts, Alex had never been in a worse state.

"Dobbiamo smettere! Non possiamo abbandonarlo! Fermata! Fermati subito il treno!" Gia didn't even notice she was still speaking in Italian. "That's it, Gia! What are you trying to say? English!" Marty finally shouted. Gia gave him a look. "I said, we need to stop! We can't leave him! Stop! Stop the train right now!" Marty shrugged. "Well I'm sorry, but I don't control the train." Gia pushed the zebra pit of the way in anger and made her way to the front of the train.

Skipper rolled his eyes as Gia entered. "What could you possibly want now? To stop the train?" "Yes!" Gia commanded. "And get a search party! We're going to find Alex!" Skipper stood up. "I'm not gonna stop the train for-" Gia grabbed him and held his ear to her mouth. She whispered something that made Skippers eyes widen. She set the penguin down. "Stop the train!" He yelled.

The search party: Gia, Marty, Gloria, Melman, Stefano, Vitaly, and the penguins, made their way to find Alex.

Alex felt like he was going to throw up. His stomach hurt so much. He was sick. Very sick. Gravity pulled the lion down. He was going to die. He laid himself down. "Just...a little...rest...and I...can..." Alex's eyes fluttered shut and he blacked out.

Vitaly pointed towards an unconscious lion laying in the mud. "Look! Over there! Is that him?" He shouted. Marty made his way towards Vitaly. "Yes! I think he's hurt!" Marty rushed over to Alex. Alex began to twitch. Marty knew that the thing was surfacing. "Melman! The serum!" Marty shouted. Melman handed the zebra a needle. When Marty injected the serum, the lion's body stayed still.

Alex awoke in a cart he was chained to a bed. He looked around him. He was in a cart. He couldn't tell whose, because his vision was hazy. So was his hearing. He was still sick. Alex could see a figure above him. "Alex? Can you hear me?" A familiar voice asked. "Marty?" Alex asked. Alex could now see the black and white of his best friend. He smiled to know Marty was there. "Marty...it's so...good to...see you...I'm so sorry-" Marty stopped him. "Don't worry, Al. We'll get this thing out of you for good." Alex coughed. "Marty...I'm sick..." Alex whispered. "It's ok, Alex. It's just a virus. We know what to do now." Alex was afraid. "If I have a virus, should you be near me?" He asked. "I have a face mask on." Marty replied. He helped Alex out of his chains and took him to the next cart. He could barley walk, Marty had to almost carry him.

When they got to the next cart, everyone was sitting by a chair with chains on it. " woah, woah! Hold up! Why the chains on the chair? I get the bed, but..." Vitaly took Alex to the chair and chained him up. "Wait...what's happening? Why the...chains?" Alex groaned. His stomach began to hurt more. Gia walked up to him. "Gia? What's...happening?" Alex asked. Gia looked him in the eyes, trying to keep him calm. "Alex, we know what to do. We can get the killer out of you for good." Alex smiled weakly at these words. "Now, what we're going to do is help you fight it. You're going to enter your mind and fight off the monster." Gia explained. "And if...I lose?" Alex questioned. Gia smiled at him. "You won't. Now, I want you to close your eyes and concentrate." Alex did what he was told. His body relaxed and he stayed still. Gia nodded. "He's in."

Alex's eyes opened. He remembered this place. He was in his mind again. But the purple color faded. It looked like a sick green. "Well, hello" Wild Alex greeted him. Alex could feel Gia's warm paw on his, and a wave courage overtook him. "I'm not letting you torture me any longer! This ends now!" Wild Alex laughed at this. "You honestly think you can defeat me? I pity you, Alex." Alex lunged himself at his evil side and held his neck, choking him. Wild Alex dug his claws deep into Alex's stomach. Alex roared in pain and let him go. The area began to stir as Wild Alex growled. He was taking control. Alex looked at his paws. He was fading away.

Alex's claws unsheathed and he growled. Gia gripped his paw. "No, Alex! No! Don't let it! You're stronger than him! You are! You can do this!"

_I believe in you!_ Alex could hear Gia's voice. She was right. He could do this. He would! Wild Alex cackled maniacally. "Don't you get it?! You can't get rid of me! I'm a killer! I'll never give in!" Wild Alex began to stir. He didn't look like Alex anymore. He looked like Alex's grand father. "You. You did this to me!" Alex shouted. "Yes. I, Kungi, am the killer who will destroy you and return as the murderer I am! Of course, grandson, I can make you the killer you were always meant to be." Kungi snickered.

Alex was panting. He struggled in his chains and began to break them. "Hold him down!" Marty shouted. Vitaly held onto Alex, keeping him on the chair. "It's no use! He's to strong!" Gia glared at him. "No! That's- thats Stronzate!" She shouted. Marty went up to Stefano. "What does that mean?" He whispered. "You don't-a want to know-a." Stefano replied.

Alex grunted as he was slammed against an invisible wall. Kungi cackled as he slammed Alex on the ground. Alex looked like a ghost. He was fading from existence. "No! No! HELP ME!" Alex screamed. Kungi rolled his eyes. "No one can hear you, Alakay. It's just you and me. But soon, it'll just be me." Alex looked up at his evil grandfather. "No I'm not alone. I have friends. I have family. And I'll get rid of you!" Alex then punched him. Then again, and again, and he roared. "I'LL NEVER BE LIKE YOU! NEVER!" Alex screamed. He clawed at Kungi in the chest, then the head. "No! What have you done! NOOOOO!"

"AAAAHHHHH!" Alex screamed. He slashed and clawed and punched. "Alex! No! Stop! It's ok! You're safe!" Alex looked in front of him. "Gia..." "Alex..." Gia hugged the lion. "It's ok. You're safe." She whispered. Alex let go of Gia. "It's gone..." He whispered. Gia's eyes widened. "What?" Alex stood up beaming. "It's gone! I can't feel it! The monsters gone!" Alex hugged almost everyone in the cart saying, "It's gone! I did it!"

Alex fell asleep on a chair that night. He was comfortable. He felt like he didn't have a worry in the world._ Alex? You ok?_ Alex opened his eyes. "Hey Marty. Yeah, I'm ok." Alex murmured. Marty smiled. "You feeling up to practice? Gia wanted me to ask you." Alex sat up and nodded. "Yeah."

When Alex met up with Gia, she didn't say anything. She just slammed her lips onto his. Alex was shocked at first, then relaxed into the kiss. Gia let go of Alex. "I love you, Alex." She said. Alex smiled at the beautiful jaguar. "I love you too." The two cat then practiced trapeze. Alex never had the temptation to murder ever again.

Or did he?

No he didn't


End file.
